Transitional Kindergarten (TK)

TK Interest Wait List Information:

The TK Waitlist for the 2018-19 school year will open on March 1, 2018

Parents of children with a fifth birthday between September 2, 2018 and December 2, 2018 do not need to place your child’s name on the wait list! Your child is eligible for TK and the wait list is not necessary; you only need to enroll your child at your home school during their registration in May.

Parents of children with a fifth birthday between June 1st and September 1st, 2018 who wish to enroll their child into a TK class, MUST place their name on a District Interest Wait List. Select "TK Interest Wait List" link on this page to complete and submit the required form to put your child’s name on the list. Since TK waitlist assignments will not be made until June or later, you will still need to enroll your child into your home school Kindergarten program while awaiting TK availability confirmation. Should a TK opening be available, the assigned TK school site will notify parents on the Interest List. The parent will then be given 48 hours to enroll. Due to increased numbers of students required to enroll in TK, please note space is very limited and will be determined on a first-come, first served basis.

Students that participate in TK will be attending school daily on the half-day schedule, including lunch. Contact your local neighborhood school for specific hours. TK students will also be eligible for Extended Student Services (ESS) for before and after school care.

We are looking forward to welcoming your child into Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten in Poway Unified School District for the upcoming 2018-19 school year. As your student begins in our District, it is important to share information regarding Poway’s Kindergarten/Transitional Kindergarten programs.

According to California Education Code 48000, if your child has his or her fifth birthday on or before September 1, 2018, he/she may enroll in Kindergarten. If your child has his/her fifth birthday between September 2 and December 2, 2018, he/she will be enrolled in Transitional Kindergarten. PUSD enrolls only students who meet the cutoff dates and does not enroll children who turn 5 after December 2 into Transitional Kindergarten. Transitional Kindergarten is the first of a two-year kindergarten program that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate.

Kindergarten classes in PUSD meet for a full day, while TK classes meet for a half-day. Each of our elementary sites will determine arrival and dismissal times for both programs. Extended Student Services (ESS) may also be available for before and after school care. If interested please contact the site ESS for information. The following chart is helpful to determine enrollment in Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten.

The following chart is helpful to determine enrollment in Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten.

Each elementary school will host its own TK/K information event this spring. Please check your school’s website for details and further information. Kindergarten / TK enrollment occurs in early May at our elementary school sites. Contact school for specific hours and days for registration or look for more information to come in April on our District website at www.powayusd.com/enrollment/kindergarten.aspx, or on your school’s website in the spring.

Should you have any questions or need clarification, please contact your school office.

PUSD is aware of the amendment to California Education Code 48000(c) which permits districts the option to enroll students who turn 5 years of age after December 2 to be admitted to the Transitional Kindergarten program. After a review of the impact this option would have on our district, we are enrolling only students who meet the cut off dates and not enrolling children who turn 5 after December 2 into Transitional Kindergarten.

The California Department of Education approved a request from PUSD to waive Education Code Section 37202(a) allowing Transitional Kindergarten (TK) students to attend school for a half day program. The waiver, # 22-2-2017-W-02, was approved at the May 11, 2017 meeting and is in effect from June 30, 2017 to June 30, 2018. The rationale behind this request rests on several points:

TK is intended to be the first year of a two year Kindergarten experience.PUSD believes it is in the best interest of TK students to attend school within the required number of instructional minutes for Kindergarten, which is 180 minutes, of a half day.

TK students participate in an intensive language arts and math curricula aligned to the California State Standards (2010) in ELA and Math.They also experience instruction in other core areas during this time, as well as support for behavioral, social and emotional development.This structure ensures that our TK students are fully prepared to meet the academic rigor in the second year of the Kindergarten sequence.

TK teachers in PUSD are fully credentialed educators who provide intervention and enrichment support to other primary classrooms in the afternoon portion of their daily schedule.This structure collectively reduces class size for our primary students in grades K-2, and ensures high quality teachers are working with students needing additional supports or enrichment.

The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is an equal opportunity employer/program and is committed to an active Nondiscrimination Program. PUSD prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. For more information, please contact the Title IX/Equity Compliance Officer, Associate Superintendent of Personnel Support Services, Poway Unified School District, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128-3406, 858-521-2800, extension 2761. ViewAnnual Notification of Parents’/Students’ Rights | Annual Notification of Employees’ Rights